Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Mon 25 Jan 2021 15:16

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Rerepo

My daughter passed her driving test around 5 years ago, and although occasionally driving her boyfriend's SUV she has never had her own car.

She now wants to buy a 'first' car - around £4.5k - and has enlisted my help. I have worked on plenty of cars over the years; clutches, timing belts, even a couple of full engine rebuilds. But I'm a bit rusty now (owned Toyotas for the past 15 years and they've never needed more than routine servicing and pads/discs).

I am tending toward a 5-6 year old Pug/Cit 108/C1 since they are essentially a Toyota under the skin. They also use the same mechanicals as the previous generation 107 - so parts cheap and readily available. I do note, however, that the Kia/Hyundai Picanto/i10 get good reviews and seem to be reliable. But how repairable are they as they age? Last time I bought Hyundai spares they were very expensive.

And what about the VAG Citigo/Mii ? Get good reviews but how do they fare in the long term (e.g. at 10 years)?.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Jan 2021 15:35

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - skidpan

Most modern cars will fare well over a long period but only if looked after properly. If a car you look at has a patchy or no service history walk away. If you look at a Kia make sure all the receipts for servicing etc are with the car, no receipts, no 7 year warranty even if the dealer says otherwise, its a warranty T & C.

Coming up 6 years ago we sold a 7.5 years old Nissan Micra. It had a full history which was all Nissan except for 1 service when we simply could not get to the nearest dealer due to circumstances. Only checked the MOT history last week, its still clearly in great condition since it has sailed through all its MOT's with the exception of a broken front spring. It broke the other while we had it and we never noticed.

Buy the best you can find and look after it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Jan 2021 16:28

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - elekie&a/c doctor

Manufacturers no longer build cars that are easy and cheap to repair . My nephew recently passed his driving test and parents bought a Kia Picanto . Cracking little motor and not too expensive to insure . You should be able to find one with some makers warranty left for your budget or a little more .

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Jan 2021 18:36

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Lee Power

If looking at the 108 or C1 - be awear these where also available with a 1.2 PSA 3 cylinder 82 bhp engine that isn't great for long term durability.

Issues seen with excess crankshaft end float, a wet timing belt that disintegrates & oil consumption.

If you do go for a 108 / C1 then make sure it has the bullet proof 1 litre Toyota engine under the bonnet.

Aygo is also worth a look & it never had the PSA engine fitted.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Jan 2021 21:06

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Rerepo

If looking at the 108 or C1 - be awear these where also available with a 1.2 PSA 3 cylinder 82 bhp engine that isn't great for long term durability.

Issues seen with excess crankshaft end float, a wet timing belt that disintegrates & oil consumption.

If you do go for a 108 / C1 then make sure it has the bullet proof 1 litre Toyota engine under the bonnet.

Aygo is also worth a look & it never had the PSA engine fitted.

Don't worry, I'd never buy anything with a PSA engine!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Tue 26 Jan 2021 19:08

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - SLO76

If looking at the 108 or C1 - be awear these where also available with a 1.2 PSA 3 cylinder 82 bhp engine that isn't great for long term durability.

Issues seen with excess crankshaft end float, a wet timing belt that disintegrates & oil consumption.

If you do go for a 108 / C1 then make sure it has the bullet proof 1 litre Toyota engine under the bonnet.

Aygo is also worth a look & it never had the PSA engine fitted.

Don't worry, I'd never buy anything with a PSA engine!

Nothing wrong with that engine, if looked after. It pulls great in such a light car but the 3cyl Daihatsu 1.0 is perfectly capable and very robust if it has fresh oil every 10k or 12mths. Neglected and abused examples are however common and timing chains can fail so be choosy. The Hyundai i10, Kia Picanto, Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris and any Ford Fiesta with the excellent Yamaha designed 1.25 petrol all make for good first cars.

Edited by SLO76 on 26/01/2021 at 19:09

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 28 Jan 2021 18:21

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Lee Power

The 1.2 PSA engine is so good that Sealey now produce a tool for checking & measuring degradation of its wet timing belt.

Ironically its something that all the turbocharged versions of this same 3 cylinder 1.2 PSA engine built up to April 2017 are currently been recalled by PSA for across Europe.

Measure / check timing belt & update the engine ecu software.

The 3 cylinder 1.2 PSA Puretech engine is turning out to be a liability for owners as it ages.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 28 Jan 2021 23:50

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Rerepo

If looking at the 108 or C1 - be awear these where also available with a 1.2 PSA 3 cylinder 82 bhp engine that isn't great for long term durability.

Issues seen with excess crankshaft end float, a wet timing belt that disintegrates & oil consumption.

If you do go for a 108 / C1 then make sure it has the bullet proof 1 litre Toyota engine under the bonnet.

Aygo is also worth a look & it never had the PSA engine fitted.

Don't worry, I'd never buy anything with a PSA engine!

Nothing wrong with that engine, if looked after. It pulls great in such a light car but the 3cyl Daihatsu 1.0 is perfectly capable and very robust if it has fresh oil every 10k or 12mths.

Reading the Peugeot forums it seems there are a lot of problems with the 1.2 engine. Clutch judder also seems to be a problem. Zero chance I'll be buying one.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Jan 2021 17:06

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - SLO76

“ Reading the Peugeot forums it seems there are a lot of problems with the 1.2 engine. Clutch judder also seems to be a problem. Zero chance I'll be buying one.”

Yet to meet anyone that’s suffered any issues with this engine. It’s well liked by the trade but as with any mass produced goods some will go wrong. The 1.0 Daihatsu motor can go wrong too if neglected.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Jan 2021 18:15

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Lee Power

Even the 1.2 non turbo version that was offered in the 108 / C1 is starting to suffer from self destructive timing belts.

The belt degrades, blocks the oil passage ways with rubber pieces which in turn destroys the engine.

All the turbocharged version built up to April 2017 are currentky being recalled across Europe as timing belt failure leads to braking system failure as the vacuum pump thats linked to the brake servo is driven by the camshaft.

The non turbo version doesn't have the vacuum pump but still suffers from the same timing belt issue.

The Puretech engine is turing in to a liability for owners as it ages, no wonder the revised version thats coming in the near future is going to use a timing chain instead.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Mon 25 Jan 2021 22:38

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - blindspot

hyundai i10 and picanto share many parts. my expiernce recently kia oil seal 50% less money . same part number . also i prefer kia dealership

i would say the 107 is easier to repair.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Jan 2021 05:43

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Geoff Dude

Suzuki Celerio. I use one for work and they are great. Always getting 60mpg. Always reliable and also more comfortable than my father’s BMW 3 series. If reliability is important, it can’t be bettered in my opinion. I have put 50,000 miles on mine in the 2 years I have owned it. If I sold it now I would get £3500. What 3 year old reliable car can you get for that price today.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 30 Jan 2021 09:21

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - skidpan

Suzuki Celerio. I use one for work and they are great.

Got the wifes uncle one August 2019 and as basic cheap transport its fine, does what it says on the tin. Paid under £7000 for a pre reg example. He's only done just over a thousand miles in it so far (in 17 months) but seems happy enough.

But would I want one as my only transport if I was doing a more normal mileage on roads out of a 10 miles radius, definitely not. Before he bought the Celerio I also tried a Picanto on his behalf and it was without doubt a better and more complete car for not much more money with a far longer warranty. It drove in a way that would make it entirely suitable for longer runs etc, it felt very similar to our K12 Micra in many respects. The one I drove was the 1 litre, the 1.2 would certainly have been a really good car.

The Picanto failed for one major reason. At 4' 9" tall even with the seat on its highest position he could not see over the dash. With its bigger windows no issue with the Celerio which was why it was the final choice.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 31 Jan 2021 20:21

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - Lrac

I do not think you will find a car that is cheaper to run and easier to maintain than the 1.0 108 / C1 / Aygo. I have had a 107 for many years and a 108 for over 4 years. You can pick up a set of BluePrint discs and pads for £50! and fit them in a few minutes. I wouldn't knock the KIa but I am constantly surprised at how easy it is to service these cars.

I am a bit obsessional with my cars and have always treated water pumps as a service item. I removed the water pump when changing the coolant on my 107 at approx 7 years / 38,000. The pump was as good as new and I no longer regard water pumps as a service item because of this.

These cars don't have a cam belt to change and I have never heard of any problems with timing chains on these engines. Obviously neglected oil changes could cause issues.I am sure that I could remove the filter and drain the oil blind folded, I would have to measure the new oil out first though.

I have read of many issues with citigo gearboxes and i am sure you don't need me to tell you about timing chain issues on VW engines

Edited by Lrac on 31/01/2021 at 20:27

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 31 Jan 2021 21:31

Kia Picanto/108 - Small car for new driver £4.5k - blindspot

i believe the i1o has many water pump failures

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator